Home knitting-machine



Ju'ly 8, 1958 A. BOEHLER HOME KNITTING-MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1956 July 8, 1958 A. BOEHLER HOME KNITTING-MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5, 1956 United States Patent 7 "ice 2,841,969 HOME KNITTING-MACHINE Arthur Boehler, Troyes, France Application June 5, 1956, Serial No. 589,455

Claims priority, application France June 6, 1955 2 Claims. (Cl. 6663) This invention relates to improvements in knittingmachines for home use and has particular reference to an improved knitting machine comprising two opposed rectilinear sets of knitting needles. Thus, this machine may be considered as pertaining to the conventional type called rib knitting machine or purl stitch knitting machine.

The special needles utilized in this machine are of the known type called twin-hook needles currently employed in larger commercial purl-stitch knitting machines.

During the knitting operation these needles are normally driven for backward motion in their needle grooves. This movement is obtained in the manner already known per se through a direct drive, the lifting and return cams engaging with their edges the outer and inner surfaces respectively of the ring-like needle hooks.

These needles are characterized in that to facilitate the direct drive through the different control cams their hooks are raised above the upper surfaces of the two needle beds.

Another feature of this invention resides in the particular shape of the knitting-yarn guide of which the suitably designed shoe is adapted to co-act with the needle hooks for automatically opening the latches.

In order to afford a clearer understanding of the invention and of the manner in which the same may be carried out in the practice, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings showing diagrammatically by way of example a typical embodiment of the invention. In the drawings:

Figure l is a longitudinal section taken upon the line I--I of Fig. 2.

Figure 1a is a fragmentary section taken upon the line II-II of Fig. 1.

Figure 2 is a plane view showing the general arrangement of the machine.

Figure 3 is a part-sectional view taken upon the line III-III of Fig. 5.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view showing on a larger scale the manner in which the yarn-guide engages the needles; and

Figure 5 is a plane view from beneath of the carriage, showing more particularly the shape of the needle-actuating cams.

As illustrated more particularly in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the two conventional needle beds 1, 2 are mounted in opposition to each other and rigidly interconnected at their ends by traverse plate members 3, 4. The movable carriage 5 supports the needle-actuating cams. This carriage is normally enclosed in a housing 6. This housing comprises a vertical upper extension 7 having formed therein a guide groove 8; the conventional driving handle 9 carrying the yarn-guide 10 is movable on this extension 7.

A notch 11 is formed in the central portion of the 2,841,969 Patented July 8, 1958 housing 6 to facilitate the permutation of the different yarns utilized during the knitting operations.

When it is required or desired to. change a yarn, the conventional operation consists in replacing the yamguide 10 with another yarn-guide carrying the substitute colour. To this end, the operator releases the handle 9 from the pin 12 and places same together with the relevant yarn-guide 10 on the left-hand side of the Work table. Due to the proper direction of the notch 11, the preceding feed yarn (still engaged on the one hand with thelast-knitted stitch and on the other hand with the guide eylet) may be withdrawn directly from the work and pulled on the left-hand edge thereof. This will pre vent the yarn from breaking, as it is simply set aside and ready for re-use without having to re-thread it.

The needles 13 are inserted in guiding grooves 14 formed in the needle beds 1, 2; the guide 10 of the feed-yarn is formed with a shoe 15 also called yarnbeak.

The arrangement comprises a pair of combined, symmetrically-disposed keeper and lifting cams 16 on each needle bed; these cams 16 engage the needles 13 by contacting the outer surface of the ring-shaped hook thereof. Other cams 17 are provided for performing the usual looping and knocking-over functions. Auxiliary, loop-preparing cams 18 are disposed symmetrically relative to the transverse axis of the lock to properly position the needles and facilitate the rational engagement of the yarn in the needle hooks. Other selector cams 19 serve the same purpose as the so-called collapsible or sinking cams in that they are set in their inoperative positions by receding within the plate covering the carriage 5. The different relative positions of these selector cams successively and alternately set in operative and inoperative conditions determine the characteristic features of the knitted weave.

According to this invention:

(a) The needle has a characteristic profile illustrated notably in Fig. 3. Although the body of the needle 13 is sunk almost completely within the groove 14, the hook 13a thereof is raised to emerge considerably above the upper surfaces of the beds 1, 2. This feature is advantageous notably in that it facilitates the engagement of the needle by various control cams. Moreover, as will be seen presently, it permits of automatically opening the needle latches under the action of the yarn-beak.

(b) The front portions of the selecting cams are of sharp 'point configuration. When this point: is directed parallel to the direction of motion of the carriage it engages the ring-shaped hook of the needle positioned beforehand and acts as an automatic latch-opening device. This function is thus greatly facilitated by the fact that the needle hooks emerge above the upper surface of the needle beds.

(c) The shoe of the yarn-beak 15 is so shaped that it comprises a pair of noses 15a, 15b opposite to each other and parallel to the direction of motion of the carriage.

As the carriage moves forward these noses engage the needle hooks and their corresponding ramps engage the needle latches to lift same and subsequently allow them to drop to their closed position, as in the case of conventional latch-opening devices.

(d) During the above-described operation the cams 16 engage the needles concerned through a characteristic profile designated by the reference letters .a--bcd whereby the needles are moved bodily to a moderate extent and the needle latches are able to move past the yarn-beak as the needle latches are re-closed.

Of course, the various embodiments described herein- 3 above with reference to the accompanying drawings are given solely by way of example and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, as many modifications may be brought thereto Without departing,

from the principles set forth hereinabove.

7 What I claim is: I

1. A hor'ne knitting-machine having a double needlebed with guide grooves in each bed and, in said grooves, twin-hook needles having their bodies concealed completely in said grooves and their hooks projecting above th'e'upper surfaces of the needle-beds and control cams for actuating said needles, said cams engaging directly the bottoms of said hooks.

' 2. A home knitting machine having a double needle bed with guide grooves in eachbed, double ended latch needles slidable in said grooves and having body portions concealed completely in said grooves, control cams for actuating the needles, said needles having at their opposite ends hooks projecting above the upper surfaces of the needle beds for direct engagement of said hooks by said control cams, and a yarn-beak provided on either side with relatively sharp points adapted to coact with the hooks of said needles to open the needle latches automatically.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 53,013 Langham Mar. 6 1866 2,243,007 Hoza May 20, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 160,850 Australia Feb. 1, 1955 315,055 Great Britain July 11, 1929 1,052,222 1953 France Sept. 23, 

